ALP's / BWP's width

[phillycore]

How do the MIX boards compare width wise to the other boards...



I have a pair of Mike Nick Pro's 01-02 model and a pair of older groove skywalkers I LOVE the extra width of the skywalkers but wish they were longer as I really sink into any kind of thick / deep spot on the slopes. I don't know if it's just because it was rather warm the last time I went or not, but during the day I had a LOT of problems with both sets of boards as I felt like my body was moving quicker than my feet whenever I'd hit a deeper spot which literally almost tossed me head over feet a few times when I was going a liittle on the quick side. I hot waxed both pairs before going out so I know that wasn't the issue. In the night time when it got colder I flew through without any issue so I'm thinking it was due to the fact that it was above freezing and it was getting thick (not slushy though...just deep 3" or so high spots)

Either way I was considering picking up a set of ALP's (preorder obviously) but wanted to know how they compared width wise to the canon's, groove boards


John

[Ian.cap]

I can't say how they compare to the MN's, but I have ridden mostly Groove for the past few years so I can talk about them. I too have an old set of Skywalkers and BG pro's and they both perform beautifully in powder. While those fat tips are great in the pow, I found that the edges caught on hard turns on the groomers. The tip width on my ALP's is not as wide as either of them but it doesn't catch the tip at all in a sharp turn. I ran the ALP's through a few inches pow the other day and it was like a snow plow. Although it still feels more like a ski to me than a skiboard, I would recommend the ALP's (I'll tell ya about the BWP's when mine finally ship) to anyone even remotely thinking of buying them. They handle so well at high speeds and in freshies too.

[phillycore]

As a former cough "skier" cough that's not such a bad thing.....more control and manners like a skiboard extra stability of a ski yet no doubt that it's a skiboard...

All I gotz to do now is get my fundage together / order / wait and get Adam to sign those biotchez with a sharpie......lol


of course I may have to wait for your BWP review too


John

[Ian.cap]

First off I have no beef with skiing. I was never really into skiing but I have been inline skating since the early 90's. I found skiboarding in an inline catalog in 96 or so and got hooked that way. So if you're used to skis, the ALP's are perfect. It just took me a few days to get real comfy on them. I believe you've said in other posts that you're a larger guy so that extra length will really help. I'm about 6' and 200lbs so I chose the ALP’s for their length but I spend a lot of time in the woods so that's why I'm curious about the BWP's. I'm comfortable enough on the ALP's now to take them in the woods, but shorter is definitely better in the backcountry. At least for me it is. I think I even recall you saying you cough “use poles” cough. The ALP's are great for skating and you may find you don't need them poles anymore.

[phillycore]

Yeah I'm a fat old guy....lol

I used to ski a long time ago, but tried skiboarding out last year and was hooked big time. I definitely don't want to go back to skiing by any means, but the extra length could help for sure especially on days where it's deeper / powder etc..

As far as needing the poles... I may actually be at a point now where I can go without them with my skywalkers (90cm) but with the nick pro's I still need them. It's actually the length that makes it hard for me to skate on the flat areas and on the way to the lift (line) I don't think I've ever actually used the poles other than pushing with them....lol So the ALP's would actually make it harder for me to ditch the poles in that respect.

I guess what I really NEED to do is leave them in the car and try going without them. As they probably are more of a crutch than anything else......in fact I don't remember using the poles for anything other than pushing when I skied either....but it was a long time ago so I can't remember honestly.

I'm not saying any of this for arguments sake... just basically so that you can understand where I'm coming from more or less...

I definitely don't believe that I'm using the skiboards as an easy form of skiing. The skiboards free me up so I can ride the sides of the slopes, carve tighter and quicker, try new things like jumps, and basically they are a hell of a lot more fun. I'm the type of guy who pushes himself more than what my body will allow most of the time and skiboards are definitely what I want. If I would've stayed in shape in my 20's I definitely still would've ended up on skiboards over skis as they just give you so much more freedom to do whatever. The fact of the matter is though that I skied as a kid - early adulthood (18) then stopped because I got fat instead of doing the right thing and losing weight. Not that I'm getting older (31) and back into shape....I'm trying my best to make up for lost time. I'm just under 300#'s now but I weighed as much as 360 just 2 years ago. The thinner I get the more I can do and the easier it is....however I'm getting older at the same time....so I'm trying to beat the clock so to speak.

sorry for the book here, but it might give some of you out there an idea where I'm coming from....and where I'm going. But one thing is for sure.... count me in as a loyal skiboarder and a die hard sbol supporter as well..

John

[Ian.cap]

It's all good. It doesn't bother me if you use poles. I know there's a big hoopla about it but I totally understand the pushing off on flat spots. They are quite handy for that. Again, since I never really skied much, they're not something I want so I don't use them.

[tkmalan]

I have Canon M7's same dimensions yet not as stiff as MN Pro. Last week skied for first time on new ALP's. I was in deep powder most of the time and the ALP's tore thru powder like a fatty twin tip ski. Jumps were far easier to land on the 30% greater surface area of the ALP's. They were a bit harder to handle as compared to M7's on groomers, more like a ski, but once I stopped fighting them and let the edges do the turning I was impressed. Canon's are now retired to closet..

[phillycore]

Actually I had picked up a pair of used M7's early in the summer ($58 ebay), but I wasn't too thrilled with the condition of them so I ended up selling them in late fall / early winter (on ebay for $108) and found the MNP's listed on ebay as just Mike Nick 98cm without any mention of skiboards or anything in the title and picked them up for $120 (actually $70 when you combine it with the canon's I bought / sold) They were (pretty much still are) in perfect condition. Between the condition of the m7's and the fact that the MNP's were stiffer I thought that was the better route to go. Stiffer mainly because of my weight not due to park riding (I wish....lol)

Overall I'm really pleased with the MNP's but they took about an hour or so to get used to them being so stiff. At first it felt as if I was just using the exact center of the board. I ended up moving my stance further back when I got into a powder situation which seemed to help a little (of course with size 30.5 boots you can only move so far)

The skywalkers I got from Greco when the older model groove sale first started. I really like these boards a lot (except in powder they pretty much suck for ME) They don't have the speed the MNP's do, but they manuever really well, and worked killer for me on the black's in quick turns and all that. They kick major ass in the moguls too...

I really want to pick up a set of ALP's though as they seem to be perfect for me. The extra length won't be an issue to get used to in anything other than skating, yet it will give me the extra sta bility I'm looking for when attempting and I mean attempting jumps, etc.. It would also help a lot on those rare days that we on the east coast do get powder...or the not so rare days when we get thick melting man-made conditions.